Welcome to Willow Class! We are so excited to start the new academic year and can't wait to learn and have fun. We have lots to look forward to this term!

Autumn Term 1

This term, our curriculum will have a start with 'How can I show my feelings through my art.' We will explore colours and how famous artist use colour to express their feelings.

Our story this term is ‘Rosies Walk’. We will learn to retell this using all the words and develop our story voice. We will learn lots of new words and during busy time, they will make their own books, story maps, lolly stick characters and paintings. We will look at other stories that include prepositions. We will write simple instructions for making bread.

 

English

We will spend this term developing our pre-writing skills that build the physical, visual, and cognitive foundation the children need before they learn formal handwriting.

Why Pre-Writing Activities Matter

• Builds Physical Strength: They develop the small muscles in the hands, fingers, and wrists, as well as core and upper body strength needed for posture. As noted by Aussie Childcare Network, “Pre-writing activities help develop the fine motor skills needed for writing. These include hand strength, dexterity, and coordination.”

• Improves Coordination: Tracing and drawing enhance hand-eye coordination so children can guide a pencil smoothly.

• Teaches Basic Shapes: Practicing lines and circles helps children master the fundamental strokes used to form letters and numbers.

• Enhances Cognitive Skills: They support spatial awareness, visual perception, and early planning abilities.

• Boosts Confidence: Mastering simple marks makes the transition to real writing less intimidating and more successful.

Common Pre-Writing Activities

• Playdough Play: Rolling and shaping dough builds finger and hand strength.

• Vertical Drawing: Drawing on chalkboards or paper taped to walls encourages proper wrist extension and arm movement.

• Cutting and Tearing: Using safety scissors or tearing paper improves bilateral coordination and dexterity.

• Sensory Tracing: Tracing shapes in rice, sand, or salt reinforces pattern recognition without pencil pressure

 

Number

We will begin with recapping prior knowledge and understanding and include nursery rhymes and stories that include number.

We will then start our first math's topic 'Match, sort and compare'. This will be done through daily adult-led activities within the continuous provision.